A Walk Across the Giant

With a couple of hours to kill, I took what is one of my favorite hikes through Sleeping Giant Park.  Out on the quiet northern side of the mountain, parking at the Circle trailhead on Tuttle Ave, this little loop starts with a walk through horse country, a short uphill hike, and then a nice little wander by streams and waterfalls.  And since we're still drying out from string of storms that came through this summer, there's plenty of water running. I hiked along the horse path west from the parking area, past the pastures along Tuttle Ave.  Sections are pretty soggy where the water runs off the hills but doesn't quite drain out to the road.  Turn uphill at the Red Triangle trail.  This one leads up along a stream gorge - nice scenery but little water.  There is one steep and narrow section of the trail where it crosses the top of the gorge, but a fallen tree makes a good handrail to lean on.  Turn back east at the Violet trail...

As happens all too often here, a good snowstorm is followed quickly by warmer temperatures and at least a little rain.  That mucks up the trails as the surface thaws; mud and ice make a really slick track. With the thaw yesterday, and rain this morning, the planned walk along the river was cancelled - it would have been really wet and sloppy.  But there was still time for a little wander. After a hearty New Year's Eve celebration, I spent New Year's Day in a fog - and today the weather played the same trick.  Nothing changes the mood of a hike quicker than fog.  Even familiar trails get a little mysterious - scenery in the distance revealed a little at a time. With fog swirling around the valleys, the view off the cliffs make it look like I've been hiking above the clouds. And just as it started to rain again, back down at the foot of the hills.

April 1, 2010 1 ½  Miles, 45 minutes Some days, I just need a quick nature-fix. This hike loops around from the Red Circle to Triange trail, across the Violet trail and back down the Circle trail. If you want a quick lunchtime walk, or a relaxing hike at the end of the day, this might the route for you. Park at the Circle trailhead on Tuttle Avenue (about 1 mile off Whitney Ave) and take the horse trail west to the red Triange trail. After all the rain the last few days, the horse trail was flooded in some spots, marshy in others, and crossed about five new streams that had formed. The Triangle trail is a steep hike up the hill - 350' ascent - along a stream for most of the way. If you lose the trail, just keep hiking up hill and keep the water within ear-shot. This is a small stream, but you'll pass a series of waterfalls on the way up. Turn east at the Violet trail and hike back across the park. The trail is fairly flat, and a nice walk beneath the ridge that ...

3/20/2010 3¼ miles, 2 hours Sleeping Giant State Park Gorgeous morning for the next hike around Sleeping Giant.  Halfway up the 400' ascent, worthy of a mountain goat (granted, an old crippled one) the phone rings.  Yes, the phone - how else will I call for an air lift when I collapse?   "Is there an extra key on your keyring" the boy asks.  Why, yes there is!   "It's for the office, I need it to get into work." OK, back down the hill.  I started hiking to get a little exercise, so what's an extra mile, right?? These are the next two north-south trails, in roughly the center of the park.  A little tougher, they work their way up and then back down the mountain, peaking near 600’ feet elevation.  I entered the park at the south Triangle trailhead across from Hogan Road.  It’s a steep hike up to the White trail crossing, leveling out as it crosses the Tower Trail, and then an easy hike back down, exiting at Tuttle Ave.  The...